The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-02-02
farm Aotes.
SMOKING AROUND BARNS.

tobacco, smoking in barns or other
buildings should be strictly prohibit
ed. More farm buildings burn from
the c~arelessness Of smokers than
from any other cause,and insurance,
however large it may seem, never,
in farm buildings, replaces the loss
sustained. An employe careless
enough to smoke in barns or sheds
among hay or straw is usually not
trustworthy at other times or at any
other work.
BARREN COWS.
Some cows after dropping one or
two calves obstinateIy refuse to be-
come pregnant again. They are
often good mixers, and this seems
sometimes to be one cause of the
difficulty in conceiving. When they
go dry they may be got with calf
again, but it is too expensive keep
ing a COW nine months, or possibly
more, before getting any return.
Practically, cows, thus bearing only
occasionally are barren, and should
be turned off to the butcher when
they again 60 dry.
DANGER FROM CHAMBERS.
An Illinois farmer, whose horses
had the CHAMBERS and were killed
recently, died a few days ago from
blood poisoning, which was undoubt-
eddy caused by contact with the
diseased animals whom he cared for.
The CHAMBERS is SO dangerous and
hopeless a disease that when a horse
is attacked by it he should be put out
of the way at once. 1t is one of the
few animal diseases liable to be com
m%unicated to human beings, and
wherever it prevails it should be
stamped out as quickly as possible.
wooDPEcKERs AS INSECT DEsTRoYERs.
The most valuable of the small
birds which the quarrelsome spar
row has not driven away is the
woodpecker. Most if not all of them
remain with us during the Winter,
and may be seen in pleasant weather
searching crevices for hidden insects
or larva. They should be protected,
for they do far more good than harm.
Their habit of remaining here in
Winter when other birds have gone
South gives them q better change to
destroy insectSp3y attacking them
dormant from cold. They are
often found iHapple orchards, where
they destroy codling moths hidden
behind the bark@of old apple trees.
THE FARMERS WORKSHOP.
Every farmer should have a small
building for keeping tools and the
smaller implements used on the farm.
Here with a comfortable fire in Win
ter, much pleasant and profitable
work may be done making conven-
fences for barn or house, mending
and oiling harness and doing many
things that would either be undone
cost a considerable sum were a
tradesman employed to do them.
Except near cities it is cheaper to
buy the materials for bushel boxes
crates for fruit or potatoes and
put them together. This will make
a good job for many Winter days,
and may be just the thing to induce
some boys who have a mechanical
turn of mind to remain on the farm.
THE EGG SHELLS.
If the egg shells are thin it is a
sign that lime is lacking in the food,
often, if this occurs in Winter,
that fowls cannot get to the ground
to fill theirgizzards with gravel need
to digest food properly. Leghorn
hens and other persistent layers
generally have very thin-shelled eggs
all precausions in feeding.
Many losses of eggs while undergo
ing incubation occur from this cause.
To prevent eggs from being thin
shelIed it is better to give milk and
wheat middlings mixed rather than
rely on fowls eating a sufficiency of
lime in any form. If egg shells are
fed they should be pounded SO fine
that all appearance of the egg will
be destroyed. More fowls learn to
eat eggs from having nearly whole
shells thrown to them to peck at
than from any other cause.
STORING HAY WITH STRAW.
Where the hay is put up rather
green it may be saved in good con
dition for feeding by mixing with
The surplus moisture Of the
grass is absorbed, and with it much
of the aroma which gives good hay
it's delicate flavor. 1t can hardly be
that the nutritive value of the